Diode-pumped mode-locked Yb(3+):Lu(2)O(3) ceramic laser.

We report a diode-pumped passively mode-locked Yb(3+):Lu(2)O(3) ceramic laser by use of a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. Almost transform-limited 357 fs pulses at the center wavelength of 1033.5 nm with a maximum average power of 352 mW are obtained. The efficiency against the absorbed pump power is as high as 32% by use of a laser-diode pumping and the repetition rate is 97 MHz. This is the first demonstration of a diode-pumped mode-locked Yb(3+):Lu(2)O(3) ceramic laser to our knowledge.